The present invention relates to beds. Bunk beds are common place in today""s households and are used for variety of reasons including relatively simple construction of most bunk beds as well as the efficient use of a limited space. The traditional bunk bed consists of a frame that supports a lower bed and an upper bed. The frames typically are designed to support the upper bed several feet above the lower bed. While this configuration makes for the efficient use of a limited space in a room, it makes changing the sheets associated with the upper bed problematic by making it difficult to reach. The necessary height of the mattress above the floor as well as the necessity of the surrounding bed frame impedes access to the upper mattress and makes it difficult to reach the far edges of the mattress during linen and sheet changing operations.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to have available a system which improves access to the upper mattress without interfering with the placement of sheets or other coverings on the mattress.
The present invention comprises a bed, a kit for retrofitting a bed and a related method in which a mattress is tethered to the mattress support frame by a mattress-securing device. The present invention includes a mattress supporting frame, a mattress removably positioned on the supporting frame, and a connector secured to the frame and to the mattress. The connector is of a length that is sufficient to allow one to pull the mattress from a first position in which it is fully supported on the supporting frame, to a second position in which it is supported on an edge of the frame and hangs out beyond the edge of the supporting frame. The connector is sufficiently short to retain the mattress in the second position and not allow the mattress to fall off of the supporting frame. The connector allows a person placing sheets and covers on the mattress to pull the mattress toward himself or herself into the second position and thereby more easily reach the far edge of the mattress when placing sheets and covers on it, and can then push the mattress back into the first position when the sheets and covers are in place.
These and other advantages of the invention will be further understood and appreciated by those skilled in the art by reference to the following written specification, claims and appended drawings.